On Wednesday, at about noon, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Community Response Unit, assisted by Rio Dell Police served a Humboldt County Superior Court search warrant for marijuana on five storage units on Northwestern Avenue in Rio Dell.

The deputies had been working on this investigation for over a month after receiving citizen complaints. The storage units were located in the old Eel River Saw Mills Industrial Park Planer Shack which had been converted to other industrial use. When deputies arrived on scene they located a sophisticated marijuana growing operation in the storage units which contained approximately 4,300 growing marijuana plants ranging in size from three inches to five feet, approximately 76 pounds of dried processed marijuana and 49 peyote buttons.

They also located two aggressive pit bull terriers at the grow site and evidence that someone lived at the storage site. While deputies were searching, the person who lived at the site arrived on scene and was arrested for cultivation and possession for sale of marijuana, along with possession of an illicit drug. He was identified at Geoffrey Allan Davis, 32. Davis was transported to the Humboldt County jail where he was booked and released. Davis girlfriend was called to the scene and took custody of the two pit bulls.

Some of the storage units had medical marijuana cards posted in them, however due to the quantity of marijuana, package material, scales and other evidence indicating this was a commercial "for sale" growing operation all of the marijuana was removed. Deputies are still investigating other suspect's involvement and anticipate arrest warrants being issued.

The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity to call the sheriff's office at 445-7251 or the sheriff's office crime tip line at 268-2539.